Salle d'attente [English translation]

One near to the other, they were there,

Both sitting, like they were asleep

On the edge of that little wooden bench

In the waiting room.

Through the window we could see

The old merry-go-round that squealed

And its whirling music

In the waiting room,

This music seemed to push

The big hand on the clock

With an excessive noise,

Excessive and ridiculous

And this clock was obsessing them,

This clock was watching them,

This clock that was whirling

In the waiting room,

And in their head it was slipping

Merry-go-round, music, clock...

The clock became the merry-go-round,

The merry-go-round became the clock,

And their memories, in a cortege,

Came back, paraded, slipped away...

One near to the other, they were there,

Both sitting, like they were asleep

On the edge of that little wooden bench

In the waiting room.

And when the train arrived,

Both looked at each other

And without a word they got up,

In the waiting room,

And in their head it was slipping:

Present, past, merry-go-round...

The memories became the present

The present became a memory...

And their words, in a cortege,

Hesitated, became cloudy, slipped away.

When, in the train, he got on

It's her who realized it

And run back

To the waiting room

But the train has disappeared...

Don't you think it's stupid,

A woman who walks in the streets

With a satchel and a side cap?

It's stupid !...

It's stupid !....

... It's stupid!

• Artist:Édith Piaf